+ Page 24 Townsville Bulletin Tuesday, April 1, 2003

T’V

ILL

EB

UL

Tu

e,A

pr

1,03

T’V

ILL

EB

UL

Ed

:U

nit:

Reg

n24Co

up

le:C

olo

ur:

KC

MY

Pag

e:24

NO

TE

S:

OUR GREAT BARRIER REEF

The

Humpback whales swim from Antarctica tohave their babies in the warm waters of the

Marine Park, and they too can be easilydisturbed if boats get to close or move to

quickly around them.

So the message to boat drivers is clear: Inshallow water or close to marine mammals

- Slow Down! You'll avoid hitting the animalsby mistake, and by keeping quiet and a safe

distance from them, you may see more.

Anchoring on coral can severely damage the Reef,especially in places used by many boats, so skippers

should anchor in sand or mud rather than on the coralitself. Special public moorings have been located around the

Marine Park to help protect the coral, so boat owners areencouraged to use them.

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds, such as gulls, terns, noddies and mutton birds (a kind of shearwater),live and breed on the islands in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Bird watching can be a lot of fun, but when the birds are breeding, they can be easily spooked and maydesert their eggs or chicks if harassed.

Visiting the islands of the Great Barrier Reef is popular with locals and touristsalike. But there are a few simple things that can be done to help preserve

them. For example, introduced plants can be a major problem for small islands,

because they can take over from native species. To avoid accidentallyintroducing plants to islands, check your clothing and shoes to makesure that seeds like hook grass aren't hitching a ride.

You may need a permit to visit or camp on theisland, and these can be obtained from theQueensland Parks and Wildlife Service whomanage many of the islands in the Great BarrierReef Marine Park.

Radios, generators and loud music can spoil theunique experience of visiting a remote island for other people and may frighten wildlife, so they're generallydiscouraged.

It may seem like there's lots of things you can't do on the Great Barrier Reef - but the rules are there to protect theReef so that people will still be able to enjoy it hundreds or even thousands of years from now, just as you can today.

There are lots a truly amazing animals and plants on the Great Barrier Reef, many of which are found nowhere elsein the world. But they are fragile and can be easily harmed through thoughtless action. Following these simpleguidelines will ensure that the life of the Reef will be around for many generations to come.

To learn more about them, visit the GBR Explorer on www.reefed.edu.au

Sustainable Practices on the Great Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is vast and beautiful, and is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every year.Unfortunately, human activities, such as careless waste disposal, are placing the Reef under pressure.

The good news is that this and other problems can be solved, provided we all play our part in keeping the Great Barrier Reef great. Most of the solutions are very simple, andinvolve little more than applying common sense.

Being aware of the effects of your actions on the environment and other people is the first step. For example, how you dispose of your waste at home or on the Reef, directly affects the health of the Reef.

At home, all wastes should be reduced, reused,recycled or disposed of carefully, to ensurethat they don't enter the environment.Organic wastes such as fruit andvegetables, (though not fish waste),can be composted, and will helpimprove soil in the garden. Fish waste generates a powerfulsmell as it decomposes that willattract flies and vermin, andcould make you very unpopularat home and with theneighbours, so it's better not totry to compost it.

Inorganic wastes such as glassand plastics should be reused orput out for recycling. This isimportant because lightweight plasticbags can easily blow out to sea wherethey may be mistaken for food by turtlesand other sea creatures that can choke todeath on them.

Chemical cleaners, waste oil, paint and other products can kill marine creatures,so it's important that they don't findtheir way into stormwater drains wherethey can wash onto the Reef.

One of the best things about living onthe Queensland coast is having thechance to take a boat out to the Reef. But people in boats need to be very careful not to damage the Reef or the special animals and plants that livethere.

If you're out in a boat, make sure alllitter stays on board, and is taken homefor recycling at the end of the trip.Remember the ‘pack it in, pack it out’rule - if you take it out in the boat, you can take it home again at the end of the day.

Oil and fuel is poisonous to marine life, so it's important not to spill any when refuelling the boat.

Sea creatures, like turtles and dugongs, live in shallow water, and can easily come into contact with boats. Many of these rare and specialanimals are killed and injured in accidental collisions with boats every year on the Great Barrier Reef.

Photos:

1. The sad reality of pollution harming the Great BarrierReef - dead fish washed up on beaches.

2 & 3. Community and Environment groups do their partto keep the coastlines and beaches clean of rubbish.

4. A big operation: The cleaning up of a waste spill on the Great Barrier Reef.

1

23

4

+ Page 24 Townsville Bulletin Tuesday, March 11, 2003

T’V

ILL

EB

UL

Tu

e,M

ar11,

03T

’VIL

LE

BU

LE

d:

Un

it:R

egn

24Cou

ple:

Co

lou

r:K

CM

YP

age:

24N

OT

ES

:

REEF HABITATSWhen people think about the Great Barrier Reef they usually associate it with colourful fish and coral gardens. However, the Reef contains many different habitats, which are all interlinked and vital to the myriad of animals and plants that live there.

The word ‘habitat’ means ‘a place where an organism lives.'

Some of the different habitats on the Great Barrier Reef include coral cays, ribbon, fringing and platform reefs, reef flats, seagrass beds, continental islands, mangroves, rock pools, muddy bottoms, sandy substrates, lagoons and continental shelf.

In this article, we look at some of these habitats to help you understand how they are formed, and the critical role they play in the life of the Great Barrier Reef.

First, it’s important to understand why differenthabitats matter. If you look at it from your personalpoint of view, the idea is easy to understand. For the first few years of our life, we usually live at home with our parents or caregivers.

When we get a bit older, we go to school, a newhabitat where we learn basic skills like reading and writing, and how to get along with other people at work and play. A few years after school, we move on to yet another habitat to start our own families, and the whole process begins anew.

The same is true for fish and other sea life. For example, a fish that hatches on the outerGreat Barrier Reef may float in its larval form to the deep ocean, as part of the vast floating mass of microscopic plants and animals known as 'plankton.'

As it develops into a juvenile fish, it may swim back to shore to live in sea grass or mangrove areas. Those that survive to become adults may move back to the coralreef to breed and, as with humans, the whole process of new life starts all over again.

As you can see, each of the deep ocean,mangrove, and seagrass bed habitats are just as vital to the fish as the coral.

Coral cays are among the mostbeautiful habitats on the Reef.Cays are small islands ofsand that form on topof coral reefs. The sand on coralcays is made up ofreef animalskeletons, shells,and other debris.

As waves washaround reefs, theydeposit sediment onthe calm, or leeward,side of the reef that isprotected from the wind.

Initially coral cays are little morethan exposed sand banks, but as they grow, their position changes constantly in response to weather conditions.

OUR GREAT BARRIER REEF

Cays grow larger and become more stable as they accumulatesediment.

Water flowing through the sediments reacts chemically withthe skeletons of dead coral to form beach rock.

Like concrete, the beach rock further stabilises the cay. The seeds of plants also reach the cay, drifting on theocean, or arriving attached to birds' feathers or in theirdung. This gradually increases the cay's soil cover andfertility, which in turn encourages the growth of moreplants and further strengthens the cay.

Fringing reefs, which grow aroundcontinental islands, and occasionallyalong the mainland, are anotherimportant habitat.

Their closeness to land means thatthey are affected by run-off andsedimentation from urban centresand rural land use practices.Compared to outer reefs, fringingreefs generally host fewer hardcorals and more soft corals andalgae because they are better ableto withstand inshore conditions.

Platform reefs are another importanthabitat normally found on the

continental shelf away from theinfluences of run-off from the

mainland.

Their shape results from acombination of wind and rain erosionthat occurred during ice ages, and theendless process of growth and erosion of the Reef under water. During the last ice age, sea levels were much lower than they are today, and much of the areacurrently occupied by the Reef was coastal lowland, with dry limestone hills eroded by wind andrain. As the ice retreated to the poles and mountains, the sea reclaimed the land and coral grewagain on the hilltops, adding between 5m and 20m of new growth during the past 10,000 years.

Ribbon Reefs grow along the edge of the continental shelf with the longest continuous stretchextending nearly 670km between Cooktown and the Torres Strait. Ribbon reefs are essentially elongated

platform reefs. Why they occur only in the northern Great Barrier Reef is unknown.

It's essential that all the diverse habitats of the Great Barrier Reef are preserved for the future. Just protectingthe colourful corals and pretty fish is not enough. All Reef habitats are interdependent and essential for the overallhealth and long-term survival of the Great Barrier Reef. To learn more about what you can do to help keep it great,visit: www.gbrmpa.gov.au and www.reefED.edu.au

Pictures:

1. Computer generatedimages created by Australian

Institute of Marine Science toenable scientists to better manage

the Reef. This is what the reef ofTownsville would look like if all the

water was drained from the Reef.

2. Mangroves that are commonly foundalong shorelines and river mouths.

3. Scientists dive to check the conditions andto study seagrass beds, seagrass is a common

food for Dugong.

4. Rockpool found in freshwater river systems.

2

3

4

1

+ Page 24 Townsville Bulletin Tuesday, March 25, 2003

T’V

ILL

EB

UL

Tu

e,M

ar25,

03T

’VIL

LE

BU

LE

d:

Un

it:R

egn

24Cou

ple:

Co

lou

r:K

CM

YP

age:

24N

OT

ES

:

OUR GREAT BARRIER REEFThese shells are capable of ‘smelling’ their

prey a great distance away, and keeptasting and sniffing the water until they

make contact with their victim.

The rasp-like tongue found in most snailshas been modified in cone shells into a

hollow harpoon filled with venom.

The venom is extremely potent, killing its preyalmost instantly. Unfortunately, this can include

people who mistakenly disturb these harmlesslooking creatures.

The Crown of Thorns sea star is not only dangerous to humans but poses serious threat to the

Reef.

Like koalas and gum trees, theCrown of Thorns sea star is a

native of the Reef.

But whereas koalas are strictly vegetarian, the Crown of Thornsdestroy the Reef by eating the coral polyps - the animals that build

a coral reef. The population of Crown of Thorns sea stars variesgreatly from one year to another. Some years they achieve plague

proportions while in other years few are seen. The reason for thesewide variations remains one of the many scientific mysteries of the

Reef.

Box Jellyfish are found in coastal waters north of Gladstone in the summermonths. They use their numerous two-metre tentacles to feed upon small fish and

shrimp. On contact with their prey, the tentacles quickly contract to only a few centimetres, and bring the food to the mouth. Box jellyfish are capable of inflicting serious and even fatal stings to humans.

Humans cause more damage to the Great Barrier Reef than any of its animalinhabitants. Humans contribute to pollution, over fishing, oil spills, coral

collection, run off and silting of the Reef. All these negative effects ofhuman activity pose a very real threat to the survival of the Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage Area, this means that ithas been recognised internationally as one of the great naturalwonders of the world. Our right to use and enjoy the Reef carriesan equal responsibility to protect it for the future.

What we do on land affects the health of the Reef. Simplethings we can do at home can help ensure the Reef will behealthy into the future. By reducing, recycling, or carefullydisposing of wastes such as plastic bags, for example, we are

taking a very important step towards preserving the Reef.Another way we can help is by collecting rubbish every time we

go the beach.

Rubbish such as cigarette butts and pieces of plastic can kill some ofthe wonderful wildlife of the Reef, such as turtles and dugongs, which

mistake these items for food. Removing just one piece of plastic from theReef can help save the life of a turtle, dugong, or even a dolphin.

To learn more about what you can do to help keep it great visit www.gbrmpa.gov.auand www.reefED.edu.au

Reef DangersThe Great Barrier Reef is a magical place full of very beautiful and amazing creatures.

While the Reef is magnificent and colourful, it can also be a place of hidden danger. The good news is that these risks can be easily managed.

Many people imagine they'll be set upon by sharks, cone shells and box jellyfish the moment they dive into the sea. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Reef is a great place to enjoy and explore. Hundreds of people visit every day, and the vast majority have a great time.

We've dedicated this Reef Beat to ‘dangers’ to help explain what they are so you can avoid them. For the same reason you were taught to look both ways for traffic before crossing the streetwhen you were little: running into thestreet without looking is dangerous,and you need to know how to crosssafely.

Out on the Reef there are bothdangerous creatures, and somethings that endanger the Reefitself.

Because of negativeenvironmental impacts such as pollution, over fishing, andsiltation, human beings areconsidered by far the mostdangerous and threatening animalsto the Reef.

But a number of other animals can causeharm to people through accidental contact.Some of these include the stonefish, cone shelland the box jellyfish.

These animals should be treated with extreme caution for they have been known to inflict serious pain and sometimes even death.

As its name implies, the stonefish looks just like a stone. If you happen to step on one of its 13 spines, it will inject a toxin into your foot, causing extreme pain. Stonefish are ambush predators, whichmeans they sit still, usually in coralrubble, and wait for their prey to come by before attacking. The pain that these fish can inflict if you stand on one has been likened to having your foot set on fire. The good news is theyare not normally fatal.

Many North Queenslanders, who enjoy collecting seashells, are taught from an early age that “if you see a cone leave it alone”. The beautiful cone shell is a hunter, using venomous harpoons to kill its prey. Most feed on worms but some species specialise in feeding on other shells and a few on fishes.

1

2

3

4

Photos:

1. The potentiallyfatal box jellyfish

2. Irukandji jellyfish -another dangerousstinger

3. A plague of Crownof Thorns sea stars

4. Crown of Thornssea star feeding onplate coral